1. Field of Endeavor
The present invention relates to micro-flow cytometry and more particularly to amphiphilic mediated sample preparation for micro-flow cytometry.
2. State of Technology
U.S. Pat. No. 5,726,404 issued Mar. 10, 1998 to James P. Brody for a valveless liquid microswitch provides the following state of technology information, “Integrated microfluid handling systems that provide control over nanoliter sized volumes of liquid will be extraordinarily useful in both miniaturizing present analytical tests and handling the small sample sizes frequently used in biomedical testing. The goal is to perform the entire chemical analysis in a single micromachined device, from preliminary treatment of the sample, to mixing of reagents, separation of the analyte of interest, measurement of the analyte, and further mixing, separation and measurement stages. Among the micromachined components required are channels, valves, pumps, flow sensors, mixing chambers and optical detectors.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,945 issued Sep. 24, 2002 to Bernhard H. Weigl et al. for microfabricated devices and methods provides the following state of technology information, “microfabricated systems for extraction of desired particles from a sample stream containing desired and undesired particles. The sample stream is placed in laminar flow contact with an extraction stream under conditions in which inertial effects are negligible. The contact between the two streams is maintained for a sufficient period of time to allow differential transport of the desired particles from the sample stream into the extraction stream. In a preferred embodiment the differential transport mechanism is diffusion. The extraction system of this invention coupled to a microfabricated diffusion-based mixing device and/or sensing means allows picoliter quantities of fluid to be processed or analyzed on devices no larger than silicon wafers. Such diffusion-based mixing or sensing devices are preferably channel cell systems for detecting the presence and/or measuring the quantity of analyte particles in a sample stream.”